dmillion...rofl
I can imagine howe handy that would be during snowbird season down here, when the hospital, police and fire department are suddenly stretched to their limits because of the sudden growth of stupid drivers in town. But as for the poll, I'd say give them helmets or give them tickets. Now before I get jumped for that, notice I'm not saying what kind of helmets. I live in southern Arizona, I can imagine just how hot it gets inside that helmet...for a while I was driving a buick whose windows were stuck in the up position(during the summer) the heat tires you quick.
Be it an open faced helmet or an enclosing one, be it just a leather vest or some body armor, bikers need armor like drivers need seat belts, and not becuse of their own stupidity. Personally I keep my eyes peeled for bikers, because I know a lot of drivers don't. They can start/stop/turn faster than the rest of us on the road and I want to make sure I'm not contributing to an accident with my inattentiveness. I'm NOT a biker, and though I was raised on bikes and around them probably never will be. But those guys have some serious balls driving where I see them driving, and not enough drivers appreciate the hazards. Yeah, it sucks when Uncle Sam tells us what to do, especially when it's uncomfortable or restrictive compared to the way we WERE doing it.
But then again, the people who care enough about the law to uphold it will just grumble and strap their helmet on, where the others will go without and *hopefully* escape any consequences.
I remember an accident on the interstate up in Oregon that I rode up to (I am an avid cross-counrty bicycler) my senior year of high school...Some guy in full leathers and a closed-faced helmet had been driving one way when a Mitsubishi had a blow-out, the driver overreacted and wound up spinning across the road to catch thie biker in the side. Total freak accident, definitely. That biker was alive when I got there, but his leathers were chewed all to hell and there was a pretty good human skid mark going across the piece of road he landed on after going flying. He was wearing a full-enclosure helmet, and it was in pieces. Looked like he'd hit his head pretty good. The ambulance arrived just a moment before I rode up. I haven't got a doubt that if that had happened to someone riding a cruiser without a helmet they would have been dead, but maybe not instantly. Motorcycle accidents, when they happen, are gruesome and not always one person's fault. The more protection they have the better.
As Marines we're required to wear reflective gear and helmets when we ride. And here on this base, where we ahve a large number of bikers (for whatever reason), that policy works great. We've had accidents, but no fatalities in at least two years. I don't suggest expanding the military's idea of driver control to civilians...that's ridiculous. But there ARE lesons to be learned from it.
I can imagine howe handy that would be during snowbird season down here, when the hospital, police and fire department are suddenly stretched to their limits because of the sudden growth of stupid drivers in town. But as for the poll, I'd say give them helmets or give them tickets. Now before I get jumped for that, notice I'm not saying what kind of helmets. I live in southern Arizona, I can imagine just how hot it gets inside that helmet...for a while I was driving a buick whose windows were stuck in the up position(during the summer) the heat tires you quick.
Be it an open faced helmet or an enclosing one, be it just a leather vest or some body armor, bikers need armor like drivers need seat belts, and not becuse of their own stupidity. Personally I keep my eyes peeled for bikers, because I know a lot of drivers don't. They can start/stop/turn faster than the rest of us on the road and I want to make sure I'm not contributing to an accident with my inattentiveness. I'm NOT a biker, and though I was raised on bikes and around them probably never will be. But those guys have some serious balls driving where I see them driving, and not enough drivers appreciate the hazards. Yeah, it sucks when Uncle Sam tells us what to do, especially when it's uncomfortable or restrictive compared to the way we WERE doing it.
But then again, the people who care enough about the law to uphold it will just grumble and strap their helmet on, where the others will go without and *hopefully* escape any consequences.
I remember an accident on the interstate up in Oregon that I rode up to (I am an avid cross-counrty bicycler) my senior year of high school...Some guy in full leathers and a closed-faced helmet had been driving one way when a Mitsubishi had a blow-out, the driver overreacted and wound up spinning across the road to catch thie biker in the side. Total freak accident, definitely. That biker was alive when I got there, but his leathers were chewed all to hell and there was a pretty good human skid mark going across the piece of road he landed on after going flying. He was wearing a full-enclosure helmet, and it was in pieces. Looked like he'd hit his head pretty good. The ambulance arrived just a moment before I rode up. I haven't got a doubt that if that had happened to someone riding a cruiser without a helmet they would have been dead, but maybe not instantly. Motorcycle accidents, when they happen, are gruesome and not always one person's fault. The more protection they have the better.
As Marines we're required to wear reflective gear and helmets when we ride. And here on this base, where we ahve a large number of bikers (for whatever reason), that policy works great. We've had accidents, but no fatalities in at least two years. I don't suggest expanding the military's idea of driver control to civilians...that's ridiculous. But there ARE lesons to be learned from it.
